After a brief SP break, I am ready to come back. Instead of jumping in with both feet and hitting the ground running, I am going the slow but steady route. I've been working at weight loss for so long and it is still so hard. Somewhere along the way SP became my latest 'diet.' I need to break that train of thought and practice more mindful and intuitive eating. I need to face, embrace and work with my weaknesses as well as celebrate my strengths and successes. I need to stop obsessing ...

After a brief SP break, I am ready to come back. Instead of jumping in with both feet and hitting the ground running, I am going the slow but steady route. I've been working at weight loss for so long and it is still so hard. Somewhere along the way SP became my latest 'diet.' I need to break that train of thought and practice more mindful and intuitive eating. I need to face, embrace and work with my weaknesses as well as celebrate my strengths and successes. I need to stop obsessing about food and the scale. I need to love me for me not just for the future, but the past and the NOW.

Besides these healthy lifestyle improvements, I'm also studying to become an ACE certified personal trainer. Because of the time commitment, I am giving up my leadership/co-leadership roles on my teams. I love them, but it became too much and I won't be able to keep up with everything. I will be here, blogging occasionally, but you probably won't 'see' too much of me. Much love and peace to my SP friends...I have missed being in touch with you! (January, 2012)

Fall 5% challenge (September, 2011): Can I make the third time the charm? So I'm back again for another challenge with the Cloverleafs. I NEED to get back down into the 150's. I need to know I can do this before the holidays hit and my life becomes insanely hectic. I want to close out the year buying size 8 jeans for my birthday in early December. I will continue running, 3x3 strength training, and yoga stretching. I will track calories and shoot for a negative 3500 differential each week to get the -1 pound loss I want for the next 2 months. I WILL get my badge this time!!

Summer 5% challenge (July, 2011): THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!!! After breaking my plateau before the spring challenge, I find myself now bouncing between 161 and 159. I know there are worse things, but really right now I am my own worst enemy. I want to make the -8 pound weight loss during this challenge to prove that I can keep losing and to truly make the healthy lifestyle my own. No more weekend/holiday/special occasion splurges. No more exercising solely as a means to burn off these extra calories. I want to use mindfulness and moderation in my food choices and have daily fitness because I enjoy it and understand that it makes me stronger and happier. Thanks to my Cloverleaf teammates and my other sparkfriends for your love and support...you guys are the best!!!

Spring 5% challenge: I am ready to break out of the plateau I've been bouncing around in since joining spark in March, 2010. I think I've lost and regained the same 5 pounds about 10 times! I will be involved in my first spark contest with the spring 5% challenge team, and am so excited!! I love my friends and teams here on spark and looking forward to the challenges and extra accountability! I've converted from being a nutrition tracker doubter to a firm believer in it. I will continue to track daily and keep my daily fitness streak intact through the competition. I have May 7 circled on my calender and am ready to go!

Old intro from March, 2010: After 11 years of marriage and 2 little guys, I had gotten lazy about taking care of myself. I was up to 215 pounds and pushing a size 22 when I realized I was having knee and ankle issues that I shouldn't have had. When my sister-in-law announced her engagement, I knew I had to do something to change my lifestyle. I was sick of not being able to keep up with my boys or shop for nice clothes. I entered our gym's Greatest Loser contest in mid-October, 2009 and placed second with 19.66% body weight loss. I still have a bit to go, and am hoping to use sparkpeople to reach my ultimate goal of 135!

My Goals:
To live a healthy lifestyle and find new and exciting ways to stay physically fit. To show my children what it's like to be a well-rounded person especially when it comes to food. Weight wise, I want to be at 145. I'd also be pretty happy in single digit sizes :)

Personal Information:
I love reading, sports, and music. I also love working out at the gym and learning how to cook with my new healthy lifestyle! I'm running again with a goal of completing a half-marathon in June, 2012.

Other Information:
"In our lives, we have two or three opportunities to be a hero, but almost every day, we have the opportunity not to be a coward." - Spanish proverb

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow". ~Mary Anne Radmacher

"Peace, it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." ~unknown

"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals" ~Lou Holtz

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." --John Bingham

So great to hear from you!!!! Glad things are going well. Things have been super busy in my world too and about to get busier. My mother-in-law is getting ready to have a knee replacement and I will be taking her place in the family business. That's a 7 day a week work week for me! Oh well. At least the money will be good! :)